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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With George Skumanick
Aired February 09, 2003 - 18:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A pair of Marines stand accused of plotting to detonate a bomb at North Carolina's Camp LeJeune. The two were arrested yesterday in Pennsylvania, along with a civilian, and charged with criminal conspiracy. Authorities say the three downloaded information from the Internet on making explosive devices and said they were going to use them at Camp LeJeune.
For more details, we're joined now by telephone with George Skumanick. He is the district attorney of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. Mr. District Attorney, can you tell us exactly how did you get tipped off?
GEORGE SKUMANICK, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WYOMING COUNTY, PA: Well, we were contacted late Friday evening by a family member and a friend of the family member's who over the past week had heard Morrison, Medders and Smith talk about causing destruction at Camp LeJeune and had observed them downloading information from the Internet on how to make various bombs and incendiary devices. The family member became so concerned that she came to the state police barracks and reported this to the state police.
LIN: Did they actually manage to make a bomb?
SKUMANICK: No, there were no devices made, but they had all the information on how to make various devices, such as napalm and thermite bombs, and were in possession of that, and she provided that to the police. And based upon that, we decided to arrest them at the time that we did, on Saturday morning.
LIN: So what was their motive? Did she say?
SKUMANICK: They were unhappy. Morrison and Medders were in the Marine Corps and they were unhappy about the Marine Corps, and they were apparently unhappy about one supervisor in general. She didn't have a name. And they wished to cause harm to that supervisor and do damage to Camp LeJeune.
LIN: All right, and you just mentioned their last name. Is it Lance Corporal Richard Morrison, 21 years old, and Richard Thomas Medders, 22 years old?
SKUMANICK: Yes, Richard Morrison is from Tunkhannock, and Richard Medders is from Alabama.
LIN: All right, so what exactly are they faced with now, the criminal charges? SKUMANICK: They're currently charged with conspiracy to cause or risk a catastrophe, which is a felony of the first degree here in Pennsylvania, that's punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine. They are also charged with terroristic threats and bomb threats, both of which are misdemeanors of the first degree, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
LIN: Mr. Skumanick, I mean, since they didn't actually build an explosive device, I mean, how does anybody know that they weren't just talking, you know, just being macho?
SKUMANICK: Well, to go to the extent that they did -- and the sister was concerned enough that she came to us with the information, saying that she thought that they were very serious about this, since they'd downloaded information on how to make these devices, had talked specifically about what they were going to do with the devices.
LIN: Do you know anything about their personal history? Have you been able to gather any information from Camp LeJeune itself?
SKUMANICK: We're working on that at this point. And in addition, with the state of our society today and the threat alerts that the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security have put out, we take any threats like this very seriously.
LIN: Right. So where are they being held right now?
SKUMANICK: They are currently being held in the Wyoming County prison, in lieu of $100,000 bail each.
LIN: Are they cooperating, are they talking?
SKUMANICK: I cannot get into that. Our affidavit of probable cause indicates that Ms. Smith did give a statement indicating that, basically, what the sister had told us, Mr. Morrison's sister told us, was true.
LIN: Did you even have a chance to see them or meet them? And if you did, how did you find them?
SKUMANICK: I have not personally interviewed them.
LIN: All right, well, thank you very much, George Skumanick, district attorney of Wyoming County in Pennsylvania. Big break in this case.
SKUMANICK: You're welcome. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 9, 2003 - 18:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A pair of Marines stand accused of plotting to detonate a bomb at North Carolina's Camp LeJeune. The two were arrested yesterday in Pennsylvania, along with a civilian, and charged with criminal conspiracy. Authorities say the three downloaded information from the Internet on making explosive devices and said they were going to use them at Camp LeJeune.
For more details, we're joined now by telephone with George Skumanick. He is the district attorney of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. Mr. District Attorney, can you tell us exactly how did you get tipped off?
GEORGE SKUMANICK, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WYOMING COUNTY, PA: Well, we were contacted late Friday evening by a family member and a friend of the family member's who over the past week had heard Morrison, Medders and Smith talk about causing destruction at Camp LeJeune and had observed them downloading information from the Internet on how to make various bombs and incendiary devices. The family member became so concerned that she came to the state police barracks and reported this to the state police.
LIN: Did they actually manage to make a bomb?
SKUMANICK: No, there were no devices made, but they had all the information on how to make various devices, such as napalm and thermite bombs, and were in possession of that, and she provided that to the police. And based upon that, we decided to arrest them at the time that we did, on Saturday morning.
LIN: So what was their motive? Did she say?
SKUMANICK: They were unhappy. Morrison and Medders were in the Marine Corps and they were unhappy about the Marine Corps, and they were apparently unhappy about one supervisor in general. She didn't have a name. And they wished to cause harm to that supervisor and do damage to Camp LeJeune.
LIN: All right, and you just mentioned their last name. Is it Lance Corporal Richard Morrison, 21 years old, and Richard Thomas Medders, 22 years old?
SKUMANICK: Yes, Richard Morrison is from Tunkhannock, and Richard Medders is from Alabama.
LIN: All right, so what exactly are they faced with now, the criminal charges? SKUMANICK: They're currently charged with conspiracy to cause or risk a catastrophe, which is a felony of the first degree here in Pennsylvania, that's punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine. They are also charged with terroristic threats and bomb threats, both of which are misdemeanors of the first degree, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
LIN: Mr. Skumanick, I mean, since they didn't actually build an explosive device, I mean, how does anybody know that they weren't just talking, you know, just being macho?
SKUMANICK: Well, to go to the extent that they did -- and the sister was concerned enough that she came to us with the information, saying that she thought that they were very serious about this, since they'd downloaded information on how to make these devices, had talked specifically about what they were going to do with the devices.
LIN: Do you know anything about their personal history? Have you been able to gather any information from Camp LeJeune itself?
SKUMANICK: We're working on that at this point. And in addition, with the state of our society today and the threat alerts that the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security have put out, we take any threats like this very seriously.
LIN: Right. So where are they being held right now?
SKUMANICK: They are currently being held in the Wyoming County prison, in lieu of $100,000 bail each.
LIN: Are they cooperating, are they talking?
SKUMANICK: I cannot get into that. Our affidavit of probable cause indicates that Ms. Smith did give a statement indicating that, basically, what the sister had told us, Mr. Morrison's sister told us, was true.
LIN: Did you even have a chance to see them or meet them? And if you did, how did you find them?
SKUMANICK: I have not personally interviewed them.
LIN: All right, well, thank you very much, George Skumanick, district attorney of Wyoming County in Pennsylvania. Big break in this case.
SKUMANICK: You're welcome. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
